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THE 



DUMB BOY. 



HEYI3ED EY THE C03IMITTEE OF PUBLICATION OF THS 
AMERICAN SUNDAY-SCHOOL UNION. 



PHILADELPHIA: 

AMERICAN SUNDAY-SCHOOL UNION, 

No. 14G CHESTNUT STREET. 






[The following touching narrative is probably 
founded on the same facts as those which are re- 
lated in the "Idiot," a little book in our fourth 
series. The variations are such as might occur, 
if the latter was written from memory, aDd with 
a knowledge of but few facts, and the former from 
a personal acquaintance with all the circum- 
stances.] 

^oL^a ^ lit 1 - 



Entered according to act of Congress, in the year 1845, by 
the American Sunday-school Union, in the clerk's office of the 
District Court of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. 



/ **z. 



THE DUMB BOY. 



~> rooR Widow McNiel U she was 

greatly to be pitied ! but there were 

' few who pitied her — or rather who 

knew or cared any thing about her 

case. 

Pity, without help, does little good ; 
but it is better than nothing. Poor 
Widow McNiel was indeed much to 
be pitied, and it was sad to think there 
was no one to help her. 

Her husband was dead long ago ; 
and her children (the children for 
whom she had toiled and cared) had 
gone away to seek their bread else- 
where, and she never heard from 
them, for those were not days when 
one could get a letter as cheap as we 
do now ; and where was poor Widow 
1* 5 



O THE DUMB BOY. 

McNiel to find a shilling or two to 
pay for a letter from a distance ? 

But she was not quite alone ; she 
had one child with her : perhaps it 
was because no one else would have 
any thing to do with him. For Tom- 
my was a dumb boy, and who but a 
mother would care so much for a dumb 
boy? Poor Widow McNiel did care 
for her dumb boy. Oh! how much 
she cared for him. To earn enough 
to give him a bit to eat, was her daily 
work; and if she could ever save 
enough to buy him a pair of shoes, or 
some article of clothing, how proud, 
how happy she was ; though her own 
apron was almost worn to rags, and 
her old gray cloak had grown so very 
thin with age that you could see 
through it. 

Widow McNiel was an apple- 
seller, and she had a stall in the 
streets, close by Trinity College in 
Dublin, Ireland. A very crowded 
place it is, where all sorts of persons 



THE DUMB BOY. 7 

may be seen constantly passing on 
foot in throngs; and cars and car- 
riages of all kinds are dashing furious- 
ly along the street. 

But there poor Widow McNiel sat, 
from morning to night, and there, 
sometimes sitting on what is called in 
Ireland a creepy, (a very low stool,) 
and sometimes standing by her side, 
was always to be seen her poor dumb 
boy. 

What w r as the exact cause of Tom- 
my's dumbness, I do not know. It 
was not owing to a want of sense ; 
for he seemed capable of understand- 
ing, and I must now explain how he 
showed this. 

Widow McNiel was very pious. 
Religion was her great consolation in 
all her troubles ; and every morning 
and night, with clasped hands and 
uplifted eyes, she offered up her 
humble petitions to the throne of 
mercy. Many a cold evening, when 
she had sat all day in rain and wind 



8 THt DUMB BOY. 

behind her stall, and sold nothing 
— for who would stop in a torrent of 
rain, or in a high wind, to buy an 
apple?— the poor woman would sit 
leaning over the miserable bit of fire 
on her hearth, trying to dry her old 
wet clothes ; and then would look up 
to heaven, and think of the sufferings 
of our blessed Saviour when on the 
cross, and clasp her thin, hard hands 
and say — "And sure He looks down 
on me now, and He knows all my 
sufferings and sorrows in this weary 
world as well as I do myself; and bad 
as they are, they are not a thousandth 
part as bad as what He bore for me, 
and my sins — praise be to his holy 
name. Amen." And when she said 
the last words she bowed her head. 

Now, Tommy, the dumb boy, as 
soon as he saw r his mother look up to 
heaven, and clasp her hands, and 
move her lips, looked up too, and 
clasped his hands; and when she 
bowed her head and said Amen, he 



THE DUMB BOY. 9 

unclasped his hands? and said in a de- 
vout tone — " La — La." It was very 
strange, but these were the only dis- 
tinct words he ever pronounced. 
Every night, and every morning, he 
knelt as he saw his mother do, and 
seemed to pray ; but the only words 
he ever said were — " La — La." God 
had not given him the gift of speech ; 
that noble gift, which David called 
his glory, and which indeed is meant 
to be the glory, but is too often made 
the shame, of men. 

" But God is a spirit, and must be 
worshipped in spirit and in truth." 
And who can tell whether the dumb 
boy's " La, la," did not breathe from 
the heart a prayer acceptable unto 
God — a hymn of grateful praise — 
which his fellow-creatures could not 
interpret, but which might reach to 
that God, to whom all hearts are 
open. 

It seemed that Tommy, while he 
could not talk about religion, knew 



10 THE DUMB BOY. 

its spirit, and felt its influence on 
his heart ; for he certainly seemed to 
show it in his life : and our Lord him- 
self said of his followers — " By their 
fruits ye shall know them." 

I must now describe how the dumb 
boy, without speech or language, 
showed that he felt something of the 
influence of Jesus Christ's religion. 

Many children who have not the 
power of speech, and a great many 
children who have, the power of 
speech, show violent, unruty disposi- 
tions ; they are a torment to their pa- 
rents, to their friends, to the people 
who are with them, and to themselves. 
Such children, whether they can talk 
about Jesus Christ and his religion, or 
not, certainly do not know any thing 
of its spirit, for Jesus Christ was 
meek, gentle, forgiving, and, in his 
childhood, obedient. 

Other children are cross, peevish, 
liking their own ease or their own 
pleasure, and unwilling to yield to 



THE DUMB BOY* 11 

others, or to give up what they like. 
These children may be able to talk 
about Christ, or, like poor Tommy, 
they may be dumb and unable to say 
a word, but they do not show that 
they know the spirit of Christ, for 
Christ was not fretted even by the ilf 
treatment He received. He pleased 
not himself, but lived and died for 
the good of others. 

Now Tommy, the dumb boy, was 
gentle, forgiving, obedient, and loving. 
Many children in the midst of ease 
and comfort are dissatisfied, teasing 
others and themselves : — but in pover- 
ty, cold and hungry, poor Tommy 
always appeared contented himself, 
and only seemed to think of his poor 
mother. This then is the reason why 
I think he was capable of understand- 
ing : and this is one of the things that 
makes me hope that when the speech- 
less child bent his knees, morning and 
evening, as he saw his mother do, 
God knew the language of his simple 



12 THE DUMB BOY. 

heart, and gave him his grace and 
blessing. 

The dumb boy could not render 
railing for railing; but he could show 
angry passions, and resentment in ac- 
tion, when idle or naughty children 
tormented him. This I am sorry to 
say was often done by those who 
ought to have been ashamed of such 
conduct : for some of the lads who 
went to Trinity College thought he 
was an idiot, and used to amuse them- 
selves by trying to provoke him, and 
rough, idle boys used to call him 
"Dummy," and run after him in the 
streets. 

But w T hen he was thus teased, all 
poor Tommy did was to hide his head 
under his mother's old apron, and say 
in a pitiful tone — " La — La." 

One day a young man who was 
studying for the ministry, and who 
was going shortly to be ordained, ob- 
served this poor boy when he was 
teased, and his patience and gentle- 



THE DUMB BOY. 13 

ness pleased him ; for it is generally 
seen that persons who can vent their 
passions in angry words, show more 
furious and revengeful tempers ; and 
often w T ill throw stones, or any thing 
that comes in their way, at those who 
torment them. So this young man 
reproved Tommy's persecutors and 
bade them love him ; and then he 
went up to the poor apple-seller, and 
asked about her son, whom she was 
trying to shelter ; and when he found 
he was dumb, he said it would be a 
great charity to have him placed in 
the Deaf and Dumb Institution, where 
he w r ould be instructed, and taken 
care of. He inquired where Widow 
McNiel lived, and told her if he 
could, he would send some one to 
talk to her about it. 
, Poor Widow McNiel scarcely 
knew what to say. She felt that it 
would be a great thing to have her 
dumb boy taken care of; but for her 
own sake she w r as ready to clasp him 
2 



14 THE DUMB BOY. 

to her heart, and say she would beg 
round the world with him, rather than 
part with him. However, the gentle- 
man did not think of all this, or ex- 
pect her to give an answer, for he 
thought it was very uncertain whether 
he should be able to do any thing, or 
make any interest to get the poor boy 
into the institution. 

He put a couple of pennies into 
Tommy's hand, and went away. 

Some time after this, poor Widow 
McNiel was poorer than ever. She 
had not sold any apples ; and when 
she came into her miserable dwelling 
one evening, she felt very poorly, and 
she had scarcely a bit of fire, and very 
little to eat. She raked up the cinders 
together, and warmed a little tea that 
had been laid by, and put some dry 
crusts into it, and gave it to Tommy 
for his supper; and then she went 
over to her store of apples, and she 
took one up and looked at it, and took 
an old knife, and sat down at the 



THE DUMB BOY. 15 

hearth, and began to eat it. It was all 
she could find for her own supper ; but 
as she looked at it, she bowed her head 
and said, " Well, the Lord be praised !" 

Now Tommy had been hungry, but 
when he saw his mother was not go- 
ing to take her tea, which the poor 
woman dearly loved, he stopped eat- 
ing, and rose up, and pointed to the 
stool on which she used always to put 
her cup and saucer, and her bread, 
when she had these little comforts; 
and he ran over, and got the stool and 
put it down before her; and then 
pointed to the tea-pot with the broken 
spout, and then to the hearth where it 
used to be put, and cried, rather im- 
patiently, " La — La !" 

Widow McNiel shook her head, 
and sighed ; and made him understand 
that she had no tea and no money to 
buy any. And Tommy looked very 
sad, and would not eat his supper till 
his mother pretended to take a share 
of it. And then she went and said her 



16 THE DUMB BOY. 

prayers; and he knelt with her and 
said his own in his dumb way, and 
ended it with his strange " La — La :" 
and they laid down to sleep in their 
cold, comfortless bed, and who could 
say that there were more thankful 
hearts to the God of all consolation, 
resting in beds of down, after feasts 
and scenes of joy? 

The next day poor Widow McNiel 
felt very ill ; but she went out as usual, 
and took her place behind her stall of 
apples. She sat with her head lower- 
ed down and her old cloak drawn 
tightly round her. At other times she 
used generally to sit mending some 
of her dumb boy's clothes. 

Tommy must have noticed this 
change, and whether he knew of his 
poor mother's illness or not, he seemed 
to recollect that she had no tea, and 
perhaps he thought it was the want 
of it that made her so sad. 

We can only guess at what passes 
in the minds and hearts of those to 



THE DUMB BOY. 17 

whom the power of speech is denied ; 
and so w r e can only guess that it was 
the hope of getting some relief for his 
poor mother, that made the dumb boy- 
catch hold of the fine coloured silk 
dress of a young lady, who was pass- 
ing by, and pulling it to attract her 
notice, point to his mother, and cry 
" La— La." 

The lady angrily drew away her 
dress, and hastened on, rubbing it 
with her handkerchief, where Tom- 
my's hand had caught it, and saying 
it was a shame to suffer such objects 
in the streets. 

But soon after, Tommy spied at a 
distance the gentleman w T ho had de- 
livered him more than once from his 
tormentors. He ran after him, with- 
out his mother noticing his absence, 
and he pulled the young man's coat, 
as he had done to the lady's fine silk 
dress, and pointed back to his mo- 
ther, and said " La — La !" in a very 
eager tone. Now the gentleman's 
2* 



18 THE DUMB BOY. 

black coat was not certainly so likely 
to be spoiled as the lady's silk dress ; 
but besides this, I think his heart must 
have been more tender ; for he did not 
look angry. He seemed to guess what 
the dumb boy wanted, and putting his 
hand in his pocket, he drew out a 
piece of money and gave it to him. 

It might have been as I said, that 
he guessed what Tommy wanted ; or 
it might have been that he thought 
this was the quickest way to get rid 
of the poor child who held his coat ; 
or it might have been that God, who 
careth for all his creatures, put it into 
his heart to send this little relief in 
answer to poor Widow McNiel's 
prayers, and to strengthen her simple 
faith. 

I do not suppose that Tommy could 
reason much ; or he would never have 
thought of running away home, as he 
did, with his money, without consider- 
ing what a fright he would give his 
poor mother, when she found he had 



THE DUMB BOY. 19 

gone away and left her; a thing he 
never did at other times from morning 
to night. But now he ran away home 
as fast as he could go ; and when he 
got there, he set to W6tk t and kindled 
up a little fire, and hung the oldjkettle 
over it, and then he went iway to the 
grocer's, where his mother sometimes 
sent him, for a little tea ail« su<i 
and he pointed to the scales &s us 
and then opened his htfnjjp ar£l ghoj 
his money. So the man weighed him 
a little tea and sugar; and Tommy 
caught them with a look of joy, and 
saying "La — La!" ran back to the 
house. 

Poor Widow McNiel was sadly 
terrified when she found her dumb 
boy had gone away : she took up her 
stall, when she saw he did not return, 
and, though it was earlier than usual, 
she hastened home. But when she 
came into her poor abode, what was 
her surprise! There was the fire 
made, and the kettle of water smoking 



20 THE DUMB BOY. 

over it, and the stool placed upon the 
hearth, and her cup and saucer, and 
two little brown papers with tea and 
sugar, all left ready for her : and there 
was her dumb boy standing waiting 
for her with sparkling eyes; and as 
soon as he saw her, he jumped about, 
exactly like a dog who is delighted to 
see his owner come home ; and then 
he pointed to the fire, and then to the 
kettle, and then to the stool, and cried 
out— " La, la, la, la!" 

And oh ! how she loved him, how great was 

her joy, 
To think her dear Tom was a dutiful boy, 
Her arms round his neck she would tenderly 

cast, 
And kiss his red cheek, while the tears trickled 

fast. 

But this was said of some other 
child, for Tommy's cheek was not red, 
it was very pale ; he was always sickly- 
looking. 

Poor Widow McNiel! did ever 
any one drink tea with so grateful a 



THE DUMB BOY. 21 

heart ! Tommy made her understand 
that some one had given him money. 
It was marvellous how the mother 
and son understood eaeh other. You 
would think that they spoke together; 
and yet it was all by action. 

But poor Widow McNiel was 
very, very ill ; she went out as long 
as sjja-could to sell her apples ; but 
at last she could go no more. 

It happened at this very time, that 
the gentleman who had been studying 
to be a minister, and who had now be- 
come one, was looking for her, as he 
had heard something about the Deaf 
and Dumb Institution, and wanted to 
speak to her. When he passed by 
the place where she used to sit with 
her dumb boy and her stall, he thought 
of her; but she was not there; neither 
was she there the next day that he 
passed. He therefore recollected the 
place where she lived, and went to find 
her, accompanied by a friend who 
was interested for dumb persons, and 



22 THE DUMB BOY. 

knew a good deal about the institu- 
tion. 

Judge what was the gentleman's 
surprise when he entered her misera- 
ble, poor abode : — there lay poor 
Widow McNiel dead upon her bed ! 
stretched out quite pale and cold ! And 
her dumb boy w r as lying beside her, 
with his arms over her body, mourn- 
ing very sadly, and uttering in a most 
melancholy voice, the words "La — 
La!" He looked up and saw the 
gentlemen ; and raising himself a little 
he took the cold hand of the corpse, 
and lifted it up ; as if either to show 
them that his mother was dead, or to 
ask them why she was thus, so still, so 
cold : and as he did this, and looked 
closely at the shut eyes, and pale face, 
that used always to smile on him, he 
cried out more bitterly than ever — 
"La, la, la, la!" 

The young clergyman was very 
much affected : he went and lifted 
poor Tommy up, and drew him away 



THE DUMB BOY. 23 

from his mother's lifeless body ; he did 
not resist, but went and sat down 
on a stool : cold and pale, and very 
miserable he looked. \ ~ 

The gentlemen talked together as 
to what was the best to do with the 
boy. Tommy seemed to guess what 
they were saying, perhaps by the 
manner in which they looked at him ; 
and he stooped down and took up 
some of the ashes and dust that 
covered the floor, and put them upon 
his head, and then pointing to the 
ground said, "La — La!"* as if he 
would inform them that the earth 
would give him also a dwelling-place, 
that he should die like his dear mother, 
for he had none now to care for him, 
and to love and protect him. 

But God is the father of the father- 
less, and how much more must he be 
the father of the dumb boy. He would 

* 1 have been assured that this circumstance 
's a fact, and occurred exactly as I relate it. 



24 THE DUMB BOY. 

not leave poor Tommy, whoever else 
would; and doubtless the prayers of 
poor Widow McNiel had been heard, 
and there was help and comfort for 
her desolate child on earth as well as 
in heaven. 

These gentlemen tried to console 
the dumb boy, by making him under- 
stand that his dear, good mother had 
gone to heaven, that she w r as free from 
all her troubles and cares. Tommy 
see&ed to understand them ; but still 
he would look over at that cold face, 
and point to it, and cry, "La— La!" 
Yes ; we all think more of the cold 
dust before us, than of the happy 
spirit that has escaped from it : our 
thoughts are always more around the 
tomb, where the body is buried, than 
m the heaven where the soul is rejoicing. 

Poor Widow McNiel was buried 
in the grave where her husband had 
been laid : it was in an old church- 
yard at some Tittle distance from the 
city. 



THE DUMB BOY. 25 

Perhaps Tommy recollected his 
father's burial, and that might have 
given him the idea of putting the ashes 
on his head to express that he too 
would follow his parents to the grave. 

The kind young clergyman became 
very much interested for this dumb 
boy, and after poor Widow McNiel 
was buried, and w T hile he was trying 
to get him received into the institution, 
he took him to stay with himself in the 
little cottage where he lived, for he 
was the minister of a parish not more 
than a mile and a half distant from 
the spot where she was buried. 

The children who were taken into 
the institution were elected at certain 
periods according to the number of 
votes given for each child, and so this 
clergyman tried to get as many votes 
as he could for Tommy; and while he 
was doing this and waiting for the 
election, he kept the friendless boy 
with himself. 

But all his care and kindness failed 
3 



26 THE DUMB BOY. 

for a long time to console poor 
Tommy for his mother's loss. He was 
in a better house, he had better food 
and clothing; he had indeed every 
comfort, but he had not his mother, 
and it was sad to see how he missed 
her. Every morning he seemed to 
expect her ; every evening he seemed 
to seek for her ; and when he found 
H£r not, he went away by himself and 
wept. 

His kind protector would some- 
times come to console him ; and 
Tommy seemed grateful to him ; and, 
wiping away his tears, would take his 
hand and say more cheerfully, " La — 
La !" as much as to say — " I will be 
good and try to be happy." 

There was one w T ay in particular in 
which the dumb boy showed that he 
never forgot his mother ; and this was, 
that every morning, and every even- 
ing, he knelt down in the manner she 
used to do when on earth, and in his 
own way he prayed. We cannot tell 



THE DUMB BOY. 27 

what he knew, or what he thought, or 
what he said to God ; but God, who 
knoweth all thingsfToiew as well as 
if the ipost eloquent words were 
poured forth by the lips; and after 
an- j 

"Prayer is the heart's^ncere desire, 
Uttered, or unexpressed ;" 

And so the dumb boy could pray 
without words ; and God could hear 
and answer without words. Tommy 
could not be instructed in the know- 
ledge of God ; but God could cause 
him to know, and to love, and to desire 
to serve him. 

His religion, poor boy! was all 
combined with love for his mother : it 
seemed that when he thought of God 
and heaven, he thought of her ; and 
that when he thought of her, he 
thought of her God and of the hea- 
ven where she had gone. Happy is 
it for us when all our memories of 
those we have loved and lost are thus 



28 THE DUMB BOY. 

linked to heaven : that when we point, 
like poor Tommy, to the churchyard, 
where he uttered his most melancholy 
"La — La!" we can also look up to 
heaven, and understand better than 
he could do, that a day will come when 
those who sleep in Jesus, the Lord 
will bring with him. 

The young minister was obliged to 
go away, and leave his parish for 
some little time ; but he left Tommy 
still in his cottage. It would distress 
you to see the poor boy during his 
absence. He could not understand it, 
and no one could explain it to him ; 
and I suppose he thought that his last 
earthly friend was gone for ever — 
dead and buried like poor Widow 
McNiel. 

He would wander about just like an 
animal that had missed its owner : his 
attachment to the good man was never 
known till then. He would come into 
the room where he used to see him 
reading, or preparing his sermon, and 



THE DUMB BOY. 

he would turn his eyes all round and 
round it, and at last when he was sure 
he was not there, he would say in a 
low, sad tone, " La — La!" All this 
time Tommy looked very ill ; he was 
paler and thinner than he had been 
when he fared worse. He ate little, and 
often put his hand to his head and side, 
as if there were pain there. But he 
was not cross or fretful : he was 
quieter and more gentle than before ; 
and often sat for an hour at a time, but 
what he w r as thinking of, or if he 
thought at all, no one knew 7 . 

The minister came home, and it 
was well the dumb boy did not die of 
joy. He did not show his joy, to be 
sure, very much, but he was evidently 
bewildered with surprise and pleasure, 
for he had never known his mother to 
go away from her home and stay 
away, for a single night. He held the 
minister's hand between his, patting 
and stroking it, and hugging it to his 
breast, and calling out, " La, la, la!" 
3* 



THE DUMB BOY. 

in the most delighted and touching 
manner- 
Then he would run about the room, 
and o\ r the house, as if he did not 
know rtiat he was about ; and carry 
the clergyman his slippers, and place 
his Bi le before him, and run off and 
.-_ w im some paper, and pens, and 
ink : as if he thought he must begin 
to make his sermon directly. 

The minister was very sorry to see 
Tommy looking so poorly; and he 
resolved to send him over to the Dis- 
pensary, for the doctor to see if he 
could make out what ailed him; but 
when the doctor saw him, he said 
that the boy's lungs were very much 
diseased. 

Some time after this, Tommy came 
to the minister one evening, and took 
his hand, and patted it in a very coax- 
ing manner. The minister could not 
think what he wanted; but Tommy 
went and took up his hat and his 
walking cane, and brought them to 



THE DUMB BOY. 

him, and then pointed to the door, and 
said — " La— La !" So he understood 
that he wanted him to go out. 

They went out togethei ; and 
Tommy held his hand, and th minis- 
ter wondered where he was taking 
him ; but he soon saw that the dumb 
boy was leading him towards thfc 
church-yard where poor Widow Mc- 
Niel was buried. 

As soon as Tommy saw the grave, 
he ran forward and knelt down beside 
it, and pressed his lips on the grass 
sod that covered it ; then he lifted up 
his head, and clasped his hands, and 
raised up his eyes, just as his poor 
mother used to do ; and then he bowed 
his head, and said — " La — La !" — 
(See Frontispiece.) 

The minister stood behind him, and 
a tear was in his eye. He waited till 
the dumb boy rose up, and then he 
pointed up to heaven. Tommy seemed 
v to recollect what had passed when his 
poor mother lay dead, for he made the 



THE DUMB BOY. 

signals the clergyman and his friend 
had then made : he pointed with one 
hand to the grave, and with the other 
to the sky, and repeated twice, " La — 
La! La — La!" And afterwards it 
was plain that he wished to show the 
minister why he had brought him to 
his mother's grave ; he took up some 
earth, and put it on his head as he had 
before uone, and then drew his hand 
over his person, and made an action 
as if to uncover the grave, and said, 
" La — La !" The minister under- 
stood clearly that he meant to tell 
him, that w T hen he w r as dead, he must 
be put in his mother's grave ; and he 
replied in the same way, and made the 
dumb boy understand that he would 
put him there. 

Some time afterwards the dumb boy 
grew very ill ; and the minister saw 
there was no use in trying to get him 
into the institution : for he trusted that 
Christ had prepared for this poor, for- 
lorn being a mansion in his Father's 



THE DUMB BOY. 

house, a house noj; nqade with ' 
eternal in the heavens, where ev > 

tongue of the cfumb shall sing. 

Tommy could not rise out of hi bed ; 
and one day when the good ml 
went into his little room to se* 
he was, he beckoned him over cl 
him. The dumb boy raised hii 
trembling hand, and passed it o\ 
person; he then pointed out of the 
window in the direction of the cl 
yard; and smiling sweetly, raised his 
eyes and his hands towards heaven. 
And by this the minister unde] stood 
the dumb boy without speech o lan- 
guage, to say — " When I am dead, 
bury me with my mother, lay my bones 
beside her bones : and Jesus Christ, 
who died on the cross for me, will 
take me to be in heaven, where He 
also is." 

And when Tommy died, his body 
was buried in his mother's grave ; and 
the good minister hoped, and believed, 
that his soul was with Jesus Christ in 



34 THE DUMB BOY. 

: for Christ said of God's own 
n, "By their fruits ye shall 
them;" and the dumb boy 
■d to bring forth, in his short, 
g life, some of those " fruits of 
irit," which are "meekness, 
ess, goodness, patience." 
poor Widow McNiel and her 

joy rest together, beneath ttie 

same grassy sod; and simple and 
ignorant, poor and despised as they 
might have been in this proud world, 
we must hope that their hearts could 
say— 

M Poor though I am, despised, forgot, 
Yet God, my God, forgets me not." 

And some among us might be hap- 
pier, were we to imitate the faith and 
practice of Widow McNiel and her 
Dumb Boy 



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